Autonomous driving technology firm Pony.ai has begun public road testing of its seventh-generation Robotaxis in Guangdong Province, China, marking a key milestone in the company’s plan to commercialize its self-driving vehicle technology by 2025.
The new Robotaxis, based on GAC’s second-generation Aion V, feature a 360-degree sensor suite designed to eliminate blind spots and operate in a wide range of weather conditions. The company said the system integrates six types of mass-production sensors and includes proprietary sensor-cleaning technology.
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Pony.ai stated that the Bill of Materials (BOM) cost for the Gen-7 Robotaxi has been reduced by 70% compared to its previous generation, while using 100% automotive-grade components. The new platform is currently operating in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, following regulatory approval for public road testing.
“The Aion V with 7th-Gen AD system deployed in these road tests represent a significant milestone in our deep collaboration and ecosystem synergy with GAC,” said Pony.ai CEO and Co-Founder Dr. James Peng in a statement.
The company aims to have a fleet of over 1,000 Robotaxis in operation by the end of 2025. Pony.ai’s autonomous driving platform uses a reinforcement learning model known as “PonyWorld,” which it says enables performance that exceeds human driving in complex environments.
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Pony.ai has logged more than 45 million kilometers of autonomous driving globally and accumulated over 500,000 hours of fully driverless operation. The company has also established partnerships with firms including Tencent Cloud, Alipay, Uber, ComfortDelGro, and Emile Weber to support the broader deployment of its Robotaxi technology.